Escape System Data Recorder

An on-board data acquisition system will be designed to provide quantitative analysis of aircrew mishaps as well as fully evaluate ejection seat performance. A small, low cost , light weight , and self contained data recording system will be developed to measure a full six degree-of-freedom motion, acceleration, and other parameters that are deemed important to determine the crew environment experience. A new, low cost technology utilizing integrated magnetic sensors with GMR materials will be used to determine position with respect to the earth's magnetic field. These sensors, constructed with NVE's proprietary integrated circuit GMR film process, will allow precise measurement of pitch, roll, and yaw. This information along with the other sensor data will be stored in a large, non-volatile, fast write MRAM module contained in the data recorder module. MRAM integrated circuit memory technology is necessary for this application since no other memory technology has the combination of fast write speed, no wear out, and non-volatility. A minimum size and weight data recorder will be achieved by using dense packaging techniques such as VMCM (vertical multi-chip modules). The results of this study will lead to a low cost, ultra-dense, high speed data recorder during a Phase II effort.